Turtle Sex Determination Just Got a Lot Weirder
Tiny antenna-like cell appendages play an outsized role
30 Minutes, 3 Exercises: A Routine for an Aging Brain
And you thought you were done with the three Rs
When Dreaming Gets Your Heart Moving
Deep dreaming may be more in tune with the body than we thought
This Supernova Death of a Star Broke All the Rules
An unexpected way to go for a star 20 times the size of our sun
AI Made Me Look Foolish. Then I Learned
Ancient alchemy has a lot to teach us about chatbots
Latest Stories
Taxi Drivers Rarely Die of Alzheimer’s—How Complex Mental Maps and Spatial Reasoning Protect Your Brain
Working with and living in spatially complex environments may help delay cognitive decline, though more research is needed
New Observatory Captures More Than Half a Million Galaxies in a Single Image
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is off to a fantastic start
Inside the Not-So-Dumb Head of the Dodo Bird
Cranial scans reveal a brain with clever sensory adaptations
Read Stories from Our Newest Print Issue: The Stupid Issue
See moreWhy We Think We Know More Than We Do
Breaking down the famous “Dunning-Kruger effect” with David Dunning himself
When Stupid Was a Diagnosis
A dark history that is in danger of returning as support for people with disabilities withers
What Makes Humans Stupid
It takes intelligence to get things spectacularly wrong. An essay on our undoing.
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Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more AstronomyThis Image from the Dark Energy Camera Is a Bit Van Gogh, No?
Astronomy meets 19th-century art
NASA Just Spotted a Wandering Black Hole Devouring a Star
Black holes sometimes make a break for it
History
See more HistoryHow Hannibal’s War Elephants Helped to Determine His Route Through the Alps
When you go into battle with nearly 40 gigantic pachyderms, you need to take the shortest path possible
The Rabies Vaccine Debuted Nearly 150 Years Ago Today
Pioneering microbiologist Louis Pasteur helped save the life of a dog-bitten boy
This Was a Big Week for Marie Curie, More Than 120 Years Ago
Despite steep odds, she became the first woman in France to earn a doctorate in science
Psychology
See more PsychologyHow Much Do We Really Want to Know About UFOs?
What disaster psychology research, a few Cold War UFO files, and a Spielberg movie say about how we might handle first contact
Better Posture Linked to Better Decision Making and Mood
Sitting upright can influence your mind
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Environment
See more EnvironmentThis Paradoxical Desert Landscape Is Filled with Fresh Water
Dunes and lakes as far as the eye can see
A “Hellish Cloud” Descended on Los Angeles in 1943
It marked the city's first smog incident. Here’s what it looked like—back then and over the years that followed.
Zoology
See more ZoologyWhat Happens When You Put an AI-Powered Banana Casino in a Monkey Reserve?
AI really is everywhere these days
These Ancient Sea Worms Have “Biometal” Jaws
Not as scary as a great white shark, but the science is fascinating
Philosophy
See more PhilosophyWhat a Picture of a Dog Has to Do with Reason and Logic
People who can’t see images in their minds challenge an old philosophical standby
The Inventor of the Thinking Machine Didn’t Worry. Neither Should You
In this age of AI anxiety, listen to your heart
Science Is Political—and Spiritual
Author and physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein on the crisis in American science
Viagra May Slow the Spread of Cancer
And statins can help
Read more
See all postsDepression Linked to Shrinking Brain Region in Older Adults
The memory center of the brain show signs of decreasing volume
Could Physics Help Us Solve the Mystery of Aging?
Some scientists say the answers may lie in thermodynamics and other mathematical principles
Pesticide Exposure at Work May Increase Motor Neurone Disease Risk
A new review looked at 1,734 people with ALS. But it couldn’t separate pesticide from other risk factors, such as head trauma.
Financial Struggle Can Age Your Brain
Persistent poverty can accelerate cognitive decline starting in your 50s
Life Originated Twice on Earth
New research traces the origins of our metabolism back in time
A One-Two Punch: New Drug Overfeeds—Then Starves—Cancer Cells
The two-step process could help fight other diseases as well
Three Things to Avoid in Middle Age If You Want to Stave Off Dementia
It may be easier said than done






































